Supported Decision Making is a good resource for people with disabilities. It provides a way to have support to decide on simple or complex decisions about life.

I have a supported decision making team of people. They help me in a number of areas of my life. My team understands me when I speak and also they make space for me to use AAC which is Augmentative Alternative Communication when I need to.

I have Autism I also have other complex disabilities. One of my disabilities is Dystonia and September is Dystonia Awareness Month.

Dystonia impacts my speech, vision, my muscle and my mobility. Sometimes it looks like I am having a stroke because my speech patterns are not consistent and my AAC is an active voice for me when people might misunderstand me or maybe they don’t understand where my base line is. I have a way to use technology to communicate my needs.

When a person has a supported decision making team it’s always important that they know how the person communicates so that the person can always be heard and remain the ultimate decision maker on everything.

People may partner with a person to help them have support to make decisions and also bring ideas to the table to help a person improve their communication in decision making. Ultimately the person can take the idea or suggestions and decide for themselves if they want to use the tools or resources to improve how they communicate .

I needed a way to communicate better about nutrition and food and my team offered me some suggestions on ways I could better communicate. Ultimately I was the one who decided to put some new ways to communicate into practice.

I use picture exchange communication cards and AAC to communicate my needs around food and nutrition to my staff and my whole team.

PECS cards are picture cards that have photos of food or other objects. Sometimes they have words or pictures and sometimes both.

Communication is important and it’s important to meet people where they are and let people communicate in best way they can. When people have the right tools and support they can communicate. It is important to give people time to communicate their needs.

Supported Decision making isn’t just for people who speak by their natural voice. It also exists for people who use assisted technology, ASL, Braille and other means of communication. We have to recognize in society that communication isn’t a scripted formality. People who use other forms of communication should be included in making decisions about their life.

It shouldn’t be that because of a lack of resources people are appointed a decision maker. It is important to recognize that when given the right tools and supports a person likely can communicate and act in their own best interest.

You must understand that SDM exists in way that allows for people to have autonomy and remain their own person and advocate in way they can best do so and it means that every person can express opinions and be supported to make their own decisions.

It changes history and the idea that someone must do it for us or another person and shifts it to the idea that every person is competent when given the right tools and supports. The United Nations is moving away from this idea of substitute decision maker and moving towards supported decision making.

When people communicate in other ways than spoken word often they are still capable of making decisions . It important to acknowledge that we need more resources in our communities for people who use alternative forms of communication about supported decision making.

The right to a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act is very clear. It is often that people don’t take the effort to make space for people that have a need for accommodations in communication and care planning. The right of the use of ASL interpreter or to have Braille information is a persons right so they can be included in decisions and care planning, it is the same for a person who wants to use AAC or use visual communication like pictures or words to communicate. It is the right to accommodations that make it so a person can communicate that must be made clear to anyone who is supporting a person with a disability in decision making.

This message is across the board. When people are provided the right tools and supports they can be active participants of their community, the supports and services they have and also choose who helps them or supports them in every day life.

Supported Decision Making is for anyone that wants to make decisions with the support of others . They still remain in control of their own lives. It is an alternative to guardianship for people who need support. It helps people have a seat at the table in their planning. Some people have also used it alongside guardianship to give a person the opportunity to make choices.

It is important to recognize that Supported Decision Making looks different for everyone! In a blog by Disability Voices United they literally talk about how Supported Decision Making is extra time to discuss choices and plain language or video or audio content meaning information in a way the person can understand it.

All around SDM is about choice, having control and choosing the direction you want to go in life.

The resources that exist for AAC users are very limited at the current time.

This resource is from SDM Pennsylvania because Ohio is still lacking in their discussion around this important topic.

There are limited resources for other communities as well including deaf /blind communities. One of the biggest struggles around the nation is making content accessible for the blind community.

#EveryoneCommunicates and the right to communicate should be considered in every facet of disability culture and life.

Supported decision making is for everyone and in saying that our communities that share about SDM must be inclusive and accessible. This includes putting out content that is accessible to everyone.

When posting videos they need captions and ASL when possible. Posting photos on social media requires the use of image description or alternative text to let people know content that is posted in the form of image.

There are little things that can be done in to make things more accessible. Anyone that owns an iPhone can copy and paste content into a note then save a document as a txt file to make content more accessible.

We as a community want people to understand this supported decision making content but as community we have to take the time to make content that helps people understand just as basis of SDM is about having information in a way a person can understand and Making a space for people to communicate in the best way they can.

Supported Decision Making is only possible when people are able to access and communicate their needs, interests, feelings , likes and dislikes and understand their choices.

We must find ways to include more people and be accessible so more people can be the decision maker and be in the drivers seat of their life.

As I use AAC intermittently I want people to interact with me with my AAC so I can be in same page with people who support me and my team can understand my needs. Even on my days I use AAC I am still apart of my team I am still the sole decision maker.

AAC drives my care especially in emergencies with it i can let people know what I need and how to support me and be able to process what people are communicating to me . This it’s important in all aspects of my care.

With my supported decision making team I have learned to use visual resources and picture exchange communication cards to communicate my needs on food. I also use AAC to communicate my likes and dislikes on food. My team adapts to what I need that day, that moment and it helps me make best decisions for my life.

I have been able to change health outcomes with using AAC to communicate and make decisions. One way I do it every day is by using AAC and some speaking and art to communicate my nutrition needs with my team.

My staff and I worked on some cool set menus for my nutrition and we worked alongside my supported design making team and my nutritionist to help me decide foods I want to eat.

It important to recognize everyone communicates and my support and your support are different. At the end of day having access to information about the choices I make and people being able to interact with me in way I chose to communicate really makes the most difference. It keeps me in control of my life and allows me to direct my services and supports.